Expert Home Staging Tips for a Quick Sale
Staging a home can help you sell your property for a higher price. Here is why.
Home staging is a secret weapon real estate agents (and sellers in general) use to maximize the sale potential. Staging a home can make it more appealing to potential buyers. It's designed to showcase the home's best features and entice buyers to make a higher offer than they would without staging.
Home staging is not something every home needs, but it can definitely increase your chances of a quicker sale. Here are some expert tips for staging your home that guarantee a return on investment.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Maximize property appeal: Home staging enhances the visual appeal of a property, making it more attractive to potential buyers and increasing its market value.
- Simple changes make a difference: Decluttering, rearranging furniture, and adding neutral decor can create a welcoming atmosphere and highlight the property’s best features.
- ROI on staging investments: Investing in home staging often leads to higher offers, faster sales, and a significant return on investment, making it a strategic move for sellers.
- Professional help vs DIY: While hiring a professional stager can deliver top-notch results, DIY staging using expert tips can still be effective for those on a budget.
- Staging for different buyers: Tailoring staging efforts to match target buyer preferences (e.g., families, young professionals) increases the likelihood of a successful sale.
What is home staging?
Home staging is a tool that draws on the fundamentals of interior design and is a form of merchandising and advertising. It aims to highlight a property in a way that seems natural and not forced, and it also showcases its best features.
It's important to note that staging is not the same as decorating. While decorating a home is a reflection of personal style and taste, staging serves a different purpose. Staging, for instance, can make an apartment appealing to a wide range of potential buyers, not just those with the same taste as the owner.
The end goal of staging is to allow potential buyers to envision themselves in the property and, therefore, create interest in it as a home instead of just another property they are viewing. Staging aims to show off the property´s best features while hiding any potential flaws in a way that does not deceive the buyer but shows them that some things can be overlooked in favor of others.
Importance of home staging
Buying a property is a significant investment. When you're selling it, you want to ensure you get the most return on your investment. The last thing you want is your property sitting on the market for a long time. The longer it's listed, the bigger the chances of a lower sales price. This is where staging can make a difference.
While many sellers and real estate agencies use staging as standard practice, for many, this is often an afterthought as there can be significant time and money involved. However, it is a well-known fact that staging helps sell a home faster, so any time or financial expenditure can be outweighed by a quick sale that is hopefully above asking.
Staging with the buyer in mind
Buyers aren't just in search of a property, they're on a quest for their dream home. Staging is a key player in this journey, as it doesn't just make a property 'pretty,' it transforms it into an ideal home for a potential buyer.
By leveraging emotional marketing techniques such as staging, sellers can inspire buyers to see themselves in the property, potentially leading to a faster and more profitable sale. This is the transformative power of staging, a tool that can turn a property into a dream home and a sale into a success story.
Another important factor of staging is that it also benefits potential buyers. It allows them to see a home that does not need work done; they see a property that can be walked into and lived in. Without staging, buyers may see multiple problems and with problems come deductions from offering prices. The more problems they see, the higher the chance they may pass on the property completely.
Home staging tips from the pros
When it comes to home staging, you don't need to stage every room in the house. However, doing so can create a more uniform look and feel for visitors. The most staged rooms are usually the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom, and the dining room.
When it comes to staging, the key is to determine the practical level that suits your situation and remember its potential for enhancing your property's appeal.
Employing specific techniques in as many rooms as possible can help you sell your home. Depending on time and budget, this can be done in almost all rooms. Here are a few staging tips from the experts.
Hire a professional stager
No matter your budget, it's always a good idea to consult with a professional stager. They can help with staging ideas, especially if you have a limited budget. Quite often, the real estate agent includes staging as part of their service.
If you're not working with one or the agent doesn't offer staging, it helps to consult a pro. They can walk through your home and suggest improvements you can make yourself.
Clean your home
A clean home shows buyers you have taken care of the property and helps them focus on the home's features. Clean your house thoroughly, especially floors, walls and ceilings.
Pay special attention to appliances, bathrooms and kitchens. Even if your appliances or finishes aren't new, cleaning and staging can help take attention away from their age and focus on other things.
Declutter your home
Clutter can be a significant problem when trying to sell a home. It distracts potential buyers when viewing a home, as they focus more on the mess than the home's features.
Clutter can also make a place feel smaller and messy, potentially turning off buyers who don't want to deal with a mess or what's underneath it.
Remove personal decor
As we've mentioned, the ultimate goal is to create a space where potential buyers can easily imagine their dream setting. By removing family photos, keepsakes, and personal decor, you're not just decluttering, you're setting the stage for their dreams. This can significantly increase the appeal of your property and motivate buyers to make an offer.
Keep it fresh
When staging, it's a great idea to ensure the home smells fresh. This means relying on your sense of smell and keeping it looking visually "fresh."
Open the windows in every room to air it out, use neutral-scented candles and ensure that any odors such as pets, food, dampness or anything else are gone before showing a property. An old trick is baking cookies or apples in the oven to help potential buyers feel at home.
Incorporating plants and flowers is another way to keep the property looking visually fresh. Flowers also have the added benefit of smelling great. Avoid using any type of flowers or air fresheners that are too strong, as this can trigger allergies or asthma.
Define the spaces in your home
When staging a home, it's crucial to emphasize each room's adaptability. This is not just about showing what's there but also about encouraging potential buyers to be open-minded about every space's potential.
A spare room can be transformed into a cozy home office, and the basement can become a games room. These changes can make a significant difference in how buyers perceive your property and make them feel more flexible in their choices.
The important thing is to show potential buyers that every part of a property is usable space. Even if they don't plan on using the rooms as you have staged them, they will still be able to see the potential in each room.
Neutralize the walls
It's not guaranteed that potential buyers will share your taste in decor. Walls with bold colors and rooms filled with wallpaper might turn off those viewing your home.
Create a "blank slate" by painting them a neutral color, allowing potential buyers to develop their own ideas for the walls should they purchase the property.
Upgrade your flooring
Like the walls and the rest of the home, the floor should be simple and clean. If you have the budget, replace any carpet or linoleum with hardwood or wood-effect flooring.
Of course, real wood is the best option as it also adds value to your property. However, the most important thing is that the floor is not off-putting or damaged, as any potential buyer will see this as a major problem that they will have to take on.
Don't forget the lighting
Lighting is extremely important, especially when it comes to staging. Take advantage of natural light by opening all curtains and blinds to showcase the space to potential buyers. If necessary, add light fixtures to make your space look brighter and more welcoming. This can be done relatively cheaply.
Lighting is important for making your home appear brighter and, in doing so, bigger. If you don't need to replace anything, make sure all of your lighting fixtures and switches are clean.
Get furniture that fits your place
Make sure each piece is the right size for the room. Don't overdo it by adding too much. Furniture that is too large will make your room feel small and cramped. A big room with small furniture will make the room feel empty and cold.
Rearrange furniture to improve the layout and make the room more spacious. Remove extra furniture and, if needed, get new pieces. Professional stagers often rent furniture when staging, and you can do the same. Add throw pillows and blankets to liven up the space and add a pop of color.
Opt for minimalism
Minimalism applies to furniture and can also be very useful when staging a home. Overdoing furniture is a bad idea, but so is furnishing a room as if you were going to be living there. The idea is to keep it simple and define the room with the necessary pieces of furniture that will give it a sense of home.
Use decor sparingly. If you place things on tables and shelves, keep them minimal and simple to avoid personalizing a room.
Fix any foundation issues
Foundation issues can be a significant obstacle when selling a home. If you can address these issues during the staging process, it's advisable to do so. However, if you can't, it's crucial to seek professional advice or ensure that potential buyers are fully informed about these issues.
Cracks in the walls or ceiling will put off potential buyers, which can indicate bigger problems. Again, problems mean less money for the seller and more money the buyer has to put into the property and, in most cases, buyers won't take the risk.
Spruce up the exterior
First impressions are extremely important, and when a potential buyer comes to view a property, the exterior will be the first thing they see. Staging the outside of your home can be simple or complicated, depending on the property type. Make sure that, above all, it's clean.
Trim the grass, cut the hedges and clean up the landscaping. To create a more welcoming space, spruce up your doors and welcome mat and add some flowers to your entryway.
Virtual staging
An alternative to physical staging would be to stage a property virtually and, therefore, increase your chances of being seen, as this can be put online for potential buyers from all around the world to see. This is relatively cheap and can even be done from your phone with apps such as Planner 5D.
Of course, a buyer will eventually want to view the property in person, but as they have already seen its potential, they would just have to see the blank slate on which they can create their dream.
Conclusion
Home staging increases your chances of selling your property faster and can increase the sales price. Whether you are staging one room or an entire home, make sure you do it with the potential buyer in mind. Use this guide to stage your home like a pro and sell it for money!
